Shiyam’s rent allowance proposal fails to pass

Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM) deputy leader Ahmed Shiyam’s proposed amendment that the government disburses an allowance to people who are facing difficulties in meeting rent payments due to the COVID-19 pandemic has failed to secure sufficient votes.

The Naifaru MP had proposed the amendment to a report compiled by the Parliament’s Social Affairs Committee, following a review of the social impact of the measures taken by the government to curb the spread of the new coronavirus.

Shiyam had proposed two amendments; recommending that the government allow “the rightful owners” to inhabit the 7,000 housing units built under the former government’s Hiyaa Housing Project, and recommending that the government identify the people facing difficulties in meeting rent payments and disburse an allowance to help meet the rent payment.

The amendments were called to vote during the virtual parliamentary sitting on Wednesday afternoon.

Neither of the amendments passed.

10 parliamentarians voted in favor of the amendments, while 51 voted against.

Shiyam had needed minimum 31 votes to pass his amendments.

While Shiyam’s amendments had failed to pass, the Social Committee’s seven-point report had passed with a majority vote of 66 parliamentarians.